Adult/youth water exercise: These could be water aerobics, water walking or family aerobics, just to name a few options.

Source: City of Costa Mesa

A city budget surplus will allow the Costa Mesa Downtown Aquatic Center to stay afloat for the next six months, instead of closing through the fall and winter months as it has for the past two years.

Summer offerings, such as swim classes, senior swim sessions and lap swim, will continue through the end of the year, said assistant recreation supervisor Cecily Renteria, adding the city wants to introduce other classes, such as water aerobics and a junior lifeguard preparation program, in January.

The city also will hire a full-time recreation specialist to oversee the programming. The City Council approved the position to ensure the facility is used to its full potential and attracts users year-round, said Costa Mesa Mayor Jim Righeimer.

“When we have assets that we’ve already built, we need to operate those assets,” Righeimer said.

The Aquatic Center is attached to the Downtown Recreation Center, next to Lions Park, and boasts an outdoor, 25-yard pool and locker rooms for paying community members. It opened in 2001 and operated year-round until 2011, when the city decided to close the pool for half the year because of budgetary concerns, Renteria said.

The City Council’s decision to reinstate full-time hours and programming came on the same night it announced a $7 million surplus for the 2012-13 fiscal year, the second-highest in the last decade.

It will cost an additional $66,140 for staffing to keep the center open for the next six months, according to the city’s report.

Renteria wants to introduce more swim and fitness programs for youth as there is little available once a child has completed the basic swimming curriculum. Some might want to work on fitness, or prepare for swim team, Renteria said.

Newport Beach mom Yazmin Ranger has two kids taking summer swim lessons, and she wants them to continue to learn through the fall, especially because of the good weather and their proximity to the beach.

“Kids tend to forget their swimming if they’re not doing classes,” Ranger said Wednesday as she watched her son flail around the pool with his level 1 class.

Renteria said she is also excited to see some of the regulars year-round.

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